A Guide On Writing Engineering Reports And Proposals

By Jocelyn Davidson


The ability to relay ideas, research findings and project information to the relevant authority is an important aspect of engineering. Publication in peer reviewed journals, progress updates and obtaining funds are some of the objectives of writing engineering reports and proposals. There are several aspects that need to be factored in when writing engineering documents.

The goal or reason of writing is an important aspect to consider when writing engineering documents. The purpose of writing is to convince the reader that you are qualified for the job and that the project is scientifically and economically viable. Most engineers wrongly assume that convincing is not part of their job but it indeed is as most clients may not be able to understand the terms used in the documents.

The audience is also a factor to be considered while writing. They cannot pay for information they already know therefore they are supposed to learn something new. The problem should be clearly stated and the solutions to it explained clearly. Background information should be used to provide more information so that readers are able to put them the problem and solution into perspective. It is important that the audience understands that you are the expert in that specific field.

Proposals can be written by any engineer both in academia and consultants. Funding agencies need to see a project proposal before funding as it is an assurance that money is channeled in the right project and in the right way. Clients also need to see them to know how their problem is being addressed and if it fits what they had in mind. These documents are important because they spell the objectives, way of doing, cost and also the time the project will run.

The structure of this proposal should consist of at least six basic elements. The executive summary is a one paged brief and compressed summary of this proposal. It should clearly and objectively explain the purpose, programs essentials, expenses and qualifications of people undertaking the project. The introduction should bear the purpose of this project in detail. It should also provide useful background information and a brief overview of the task.

The project objectives, methods and evaluation are to be found in the project description section. A time frame and the budget bearing all the over heads and estimated cost are also found here. They should in form of charts, diagrams and tables. In the last section is a list of particular team to be involved and their education and professional qualifications.

Engineering reports are similar to proposals in that they also contain an executive summary and introduction. In contrast, reports have extra sections such as theory and analysis where laws and equations applied are defined. In addition, the method section includes the instruments and apparatus used. Findings are explained in results section and discussed. From the results, conclusions and recommendation are made. The rest of the document also contains the literature cited, acknowledgment and appendix.

In conclusion, styles that inform and enhance readability should be chosen over those that aim to impress. An appropriate formatting method should be used to format headings and text. Remember to use labels for any picture, diagram, graph or table included. In addition, use the document content to inform the writing style and organization of the work.




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